Gearing



Dec. 1, 92 1,564,057

W. H. GEORGE GEARING Filed June 1, 1922 2 Sheets-Shoot 1 nae/Z1151" zgzzm'aew a y ww.

Dem .1925.

w. H. GEORGE 1'564'057 GEARING Filed June 1, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

UNITED STATES WILLTAM H. GEORGE, OFFAIRFIELD, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO THE DEXTER COMPANY, OF

eeann PATENT OFFICE.

FAIRFIELD, IO'Vi/A, A CURPGBATIQN O IOWA.

GEARING.

Application filed June 1,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM H. GEORGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of F airfield, in the county of Jefferson and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gearing; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in gearing and consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly point ed out'in the appended claim.

One of the objects of the present invention is to simplify and improve the gearing for a rocking tub or cylinder type of washing machine, and to include therein an ellicient clutch mechanism which when actuated vill stop the tub or cylinder with its door in a predetermined position.

Another object of the invention is to improve the construction and operation of the pitman by which the oscillating movement is imparted to the cylinder.

These objects of the invention, together with the many advantages thereof, will more fully appear as I proceed with my specification.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a domestic washing machine of the cabinet type, embodying my invention, with parts of the casing broken away to more clearly show the interior thereof.

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of a novel pitman, embodied in my improved gearing Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the pitman, on an enlarged scale, as taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Figure & is a vertical section through my improved gearing, on an enlarged scale, as taken on the line 4- 1- of Fig. 1.

Figure 5 is another vertical section view as taken on theline 55 of Fig. 4.

Figure 6 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 4: with the parts in a changed relation.

Figure 7 is a perspective viewof a clutch member embodied in my improved gearing.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the 1922. Serial No. 565,059.

clutch control lever as removed from the rest of the gearing.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, 10 indicates as a whole, the cabinet or casing of a domestic washing machine of the oscillating cylinder type. Said casing is made of sheet metal and includes the upright end walls 11-11 and upright front and rear walls 12 and 13 which merge into a rounded top wall 14:. In said top wall is provided a hinged door 15. The casing is braced at its corners by suitable angle irons 16 (only one of which is shown in Fig. 1) and at the ends and sides by suitable, vertically spaced, horizontally disposed bars 17 and 18 respectively. At the bottom end of the front wall 12 of the casing is a substantially heavy reinforced bar 19, of wood, in which is provided upright SLOP bars 20 adapted to be actuated by a pedal 21 in such manner as to engage the floor and prevent rolling movement of ma chine on its casters 22, when it is so desired. To increase the rigidity of the various frame bars, I also provide a horizontal brace bar 23, parallel with but intermediate the pairs of bars 17, which bar 23 is connected at its ends to the bottom-most barlS of the rear wall and the wooden bar 19 just above mentioned.

In the top end of the casing is located the operating member or cylinder 24: of the washing machine. Said cylinder is adapted to oscillate about a horizontal axis, parallel with the front and rear end walls of the casing, and includes the flat upright end walls 25 to which are secured spider plates 26, only one of which is shown in Fig. 1. Each spider carries a horizontal stub shaft 27, which is j ournalled in a suitable bearing block 28 supported from the end walls of the casing in any convenient manner.

' Below the cylinder, within the casing is located my improved gearing for imparting an oscillating movement to the cylinder and also for driving the clothes wringer in a manner to appear later.

The gearing includes a gear casing 29 arranged near that corner of the casing defined by the right hand end wall 11 and the rear wall 13. The gear casing comprises a housing member 30 and a cover member 81, which are bolted together at their meeting edges, to provide an oil and grease tight gear chamber. The cover member 31, which is. arranged adjacent the right hand end wall 11 has a plurality of laterally extending lugs 31 which are bolted to the associated frame bars 17 to support the casing in its proper position.

On the side of the housing member 30, opposite the cover member is an integral hollow boss 32 which opens into the gear chain-- her defined by the housing and cover members;

33 indicates the driven shaft of the gearing. Said shaft is disposed horizontally, parallel-with the stub shafts 27 of the cylinder, and one end of said shaft, (the right hand end) extends through and bears in the hollow boss 32, to project into a bearing recess 34 formed in the cover member 31. The other or left hand end of said shaft is journalled in a bearing block 35 on an angularly disposed brace bar 36, fixed at its ends to one of the bars 18 on the rear end wall, and to the horizontal brace bar 23 before mentioned.

Loose on that end of the shaft 33, within the casing 29, is a large spiral gear 3? which occupies the gear compartment thereof. On that side of said gear adjacent the cover, is an integral bevel .pinion 38 and on the other side of said pinion38 is a hub 39, which is flattened on diametric opposite sides. Associated with said hub, within the hollow boss 32, is a clutch collar 40 which also is loose on said shaft. Said clutch collar comprises a cylindrical body 41 of a diameter approximating that of the gear hub 39 and one end of said body is notched or cut away as at 42 to receive the flattened end of the gear hub 39" so as to be capable of a limited endwise movement with respect thereto but still be driven thereby. On the other end of said body are clutch teeth 43 and adjacent said teeth is a radial flange or shoulder 44. A part of that face of said flange, adjacent the clutch teeth is cut away to provide a cam surface 45, having diametrically opposite high and low points. Fixed to the shaft 33 within the hollow boss 32, between the end of said boss and the clutch collar 40, is a second clutch collar 46 with which the clutch 43 cooperates. Surrounding the hub parts of the gear 37 and collar 40 is an expansion coiled spring 4O which normally urges the loose clutch collar 40 into engagement with the fixed clutch collar 46.

The large spiral gear 37 is driven as follows: Made integral with the housing part. 30 of the casing, below and extending parallel with the hollow boss, is an elongatedsleeve 47 in which is journalled horizontal shaft 48. The righthand end of said shaft has secured to it, in the gear chamber, a spiral pinion 49 which meshes with the large gear 37. To the other end of said shaft 1s secured a pulley wheel 50 which is driven by a belt 51 from an electric motor 52 mounted on a suitable platform near the' corner defined by the front wall 12 and righthand' side wall 11.

In the cover plate 31 of the gear casing is provided a laterally extending hollow boss 53, to receive a bevelled pinion 54 which meshes with the bevelled pinion 38 on the gear 37. The pinion 54 is secured to the bottom end of an upright shaft which passes through and has a bearing in a suitable opening 56 in the cover for that purpose (see Fig. 4). The top end of said upright shaft extends into the gear boX 57 of a horizontally swinging clothes wringer 58 mounted in a plane above the ,top of the cabinet or casing 10.

60 indicates the clutch control pin. This pin is mounted on the housing 30 in a plane above the hollow boss 32 and includes a vertical leg 61 which bears in a lug 3O and is adapted to slide through a hole 62 in said hollow boss, and a horizontal leg 61, the end of which is flattened and extends into a vertical groove 63 formed in the side wall of the housing above said hollow boss. By this construction, the pin 60 as a whole is capable-of a vertically sliding guiding movement without displacement. The vertical leg 61 of said pin is so positioned that when it is projected inwardly of the hollow boss 32, it will be engaged by the low point of the cam 45 of the clutch collar 40, and as said clutch collar rotates, then by the high point thereof. As the high point approaches the pin, the clutch collar is moved endwise of the shaft 33, away from the other clutch collar 46, against the action of the spring 40, a distance equal to the longitudinal spacing of the high and low points of the cam, which is sufficient to cause a complete disengagement between the two clutch members.

Any suitable means may be employed for controlling or actuating the pin and in Fig. 8 I have shown one means which is as follows:

65 indicates a short horizontal rock shaft which is journalledin suitable bearing ears provided therefor in the housing 30 above and to one side of the plane of the driven shaft 33 (see Fig. 5). To that end of said shaft bearing in the housing part 30, is secured a curved arm 66 having a curved slot 67 therein, through which the horizontal leg (51 of the pin 60 extends. v To the other end of said shaft {35 is. secured an arm (38. Connected to the last named arm is a rod 69 which is inclined upwardly and forwardly to terminate. in a knob 70, the major part of said rod being enclosed within the casing and the knob being located without means? the casing in convenient position for the operator to grasp the same, as shown in Fig. 1. Said rod is bent near its knob end to provide a shoulder 71 which coacts with a locking plate 72 and near its other end is fixed a collar 73. Surrounding said rod between said collar 73 and a fixed part or shoulder Tel on the washing machine, is an expansion coiled spring 75 which normally urges the rod 69 downwardly to project the pin into the hollow boss 82. By means of the shoulder 71 and stop plate 72 it is apparent that the rod 69 may be locked in that position wherein the pin 60 is withdrawn from the hollow boss so that the two clutch collars l0-4l8 are engaged with each other.

The means for oscillating the cylinder 2% is as follows: Fixed to that end of the shaft 33, journalled in the bearing block 85 before mentioned, is a crank arm 76 which carries a crank pin 77, (see Fig. 1). A pitman 7 8 connects said crank pin with a stud 79 on one of the spiders 26 of the cylinder 24. It is apparent that when the shaft 33 is rotating, it will through the crank arm 76 and pit-man 78, impart a rocking or oscillating movement to the cylinder 24.

Thepitman 78 is so constructed as to absorb and eliminate any shock or imparted to the gearing at the reversal of oscillation of the cylinder. Said pitman comprises female and male arms 80 and 81 respectively, the one telescoping within the other. The arm 80 which is operatively connected to the cylinder 24, includes a bearing eye 82 at its outer end to receive a bearing bushing 83 for the stud 79 and is longitudinally recessed at its other end as at Sit, there being oppositely disposed, laterally extending ears 85 on said last mentioned end. The male arm is formed at its outer or bottom end with a split bearing eye 86 to receive the bushing 87 for the crank pin 77 and is provided at its inner or top end with a cylindrical stem 88 which telescopes in the recess of the female arm. At the junction of the main part of the arm 81 and the stem 88 is formed laterally extending ears 89, similar to the ears 85 on the female arm. Secured to the ears 85 and 89 are two contractile coiled springs 90 which urge the two arms of the pitman together, and surrounding that part of the stem 88 between the bottom end of the pitman arm 80 and the body of the pitman arm 81 is an expansion coiled spring 91 which urges said arms apart, said springs substantially counter-balancing each other. At one end of one oscillation of the cylinder, the expansion springs will operate to absorb the shock or jar of reversal, while at the beginning of the other oscillation of the cylinder the contractile springs will operate in the same manner. Thus said springs act as cushions which readily absorb the shocks and jars to which the parts are subjected in actual operation.

The many advantages of the improved construction is apparent from the foregoing description. The number of parts in the gear casing have been reduced to a minimum, thus eliminating expense in manufacture and noise and loss of power in operation.

The pitman is so constructed as to absorb the shock which heretofore was distributed to the other parts of the gearing, and thus adds to the smoothness of operation of the gearing as a whole.

li hile in describing my invention 1 have referred to certain details of mechanical construction and arrangement of parts, I do not wish to be limited thereto except as may be pointed out in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention In a gearing, the combination of a flat shallow casing, having a centrally disposed hollow boss on one side and a second bearing boss of smaller diameter at its bottom side extending parallel to said first-named boss, a drive shaft bearing in said secondnamed boss and extending into said casing, a driven shaft extending arallel to said drive shaft and having bearing in said boss and extending into said casing, a large gear loose on said driven shaft and located in said casing, said gear having a hub extending into the first-named boss, a small pinion in said casing engaged with the said large gear and fixed on said drive shaft, a clutch member fixed to the driven shaft near the outer end of said first-named boss, a second clutch member between said fixed clutch member and said large gear, said second clutch member having a hub operatively connected to the hub of the large gear so as to rotate therewith but being capable of an endwise movement thereon, an expansion coil spring surrounding said hubs and urging the second clutch member into engagement with the first clutch member, the second clutch member being provided with an annular cam shoulder, and a radially disposed pin adapted to be projected into the path of the cam shoulder to disengage the second clutch member from the first clutch member.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, 1 afiix my signature this 26 day of May, A. D. 1922.

VJ. H. GEORGE. 

